Charging error (All 5 segments turn RED) HVB Module failure

[LightningJB]

Are you getting the service done at Madden Ford?

Yes I am. Where I bought it 11/22

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[The Weatherman]

Yes I am. Where I bought it 11/22

That has a cell failure written all over it..

 

[TaxmanHog]

Yes I am. Where I bought it 11/22

Looking forward to a follow-up and quick successful repair.

 

[LightningJB]

AAA towed it to the dealer this morning. Getting into tow mode neutral was fine. Arrived at dealer and The driver starts unloading and the emergency brake is engaged. I tried to disengage and the truck seemed to lose its mind with every effort to dis-engage. Eventually the the truck stopped responding completely and the dash went black and would not wake up. The driver had seen this before and manully opened the frunk and attached his jump box to the 12 volt battery. Voila - truck wakes up and allows us to put it in neutral and release the E-Brake. As I write this I am home waiting for the word on the ($399 unless its the battery system covered by warranty) diagnostic results.

Happy to stay on this thread or start one fresh.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Happy to stay on this thread or start one fresh.

You can continue documenting your experience here, it's not a long complex thread yet.

I debated with myself moving your post here

Powertrain Malfunction/ Reduced Power but figured we can leave it here until you have better information about the root cause.

 

[Traconesu]

Ford will not sell you an extended warranty on a Lightning battery. I called and asked. It seems that after the 8 year/100,000 mile warranty ends you are on your own if a battery module needs replacement. While 8 years/100,000 miles seems long, I think most ICE F-150s have life expectancies much longer than Ford’s Lightning battery warranty.

I believe I'll trade in just prior to my 8 year warranty.

The BMS continuously balances the cells. They also absolutely would have been balanced when manufactured.

There's obviously a quality control problem with these modular failures.
When assembling battery modules the cells must match as closely as possible else excessive cell degregation will occur. It's possible that's what is happening here. Whatever, It is definitely a QC issue. Driving and charging had nothing to do with my 3 modules failing. Mostly 55 mph & city driving and max charging done with Ford 0 amp charger and 30 amp charger. No DC charging.

 

[Piquette]

Traconesu wrote:

“I believe I'll trade in just prior to my 8 year warranty.”

Sadly, I have come to the same conclusion.

 

[Traconesu]

Traconesu wrote:

“I believe I'll trade in just prior to my 8 year warranty.”

Sadly, I have come to the same conclusion.

I'm 75, I was hoping this would be my last vehicle. Now it looks like that won't be the case. I only have 5 yrs left on my warranty. Mileage isn't a problem because in the past 3 yrs I've only driven a little over 23k miles.

 

[Traconesu]

Yes, for the battery the 8 years/100k miles and 70% capacity loss is the industry standard, and my Leaf had the same if I recall.

I've had my Leaf since Dec 2011, light use and still has 80-85% capacity.
Just a short hop vehicle - nice when gas prices spiked and driving my Ranger was costly.

If after 8 years the Lightning battery fails to have 70% capacity I'd be surprised.
But if it has 84% that would not be a surprise since 2% loss per year is typical from just age.

I do wonder about folks that fast charge all the time, will they fall below 70% after 8 years?
Time will tell when 2030 rolls around.

We do read about other things besides the battery failing here on the threads, that would be covered only by the 3year b-to-b warranty.

Where there is a manufacturing defect that doesn't appear until AFTER the warranty expires, there are sometimes other remedies, lemon laws, product liability laws, and other legal avenues depending on the facts.

It cost me $3200 but I extended my B to B to 8 yrs/ 100,000 miles

 

[chl]

It cost me $3200 but I extended my B to B to 8 yrs/ 100,000 miles

For $640/year (about $1.75/day) not a lot for peace of mind.

We all hope we never have to use mechanical breakdown insurance, but entropy rules the universe and human error is ubiquitous on planet earth.

 

[LightningJB]

AAA towed it to the dealer this morning. Getting into tow mode neutral was fine. Arrived at dealer and The driver starts unloading and the emergency brake is engaged. I tried to disengage and the truck seemed to lose its mind with every effort to dis-engage. Eventually the the truck stopped responding completely and the dash went black and would not wake up. The driver had seen this before and manully opened the frunk and attached his jump box to the 12 volt battery. Voila - truck wakes up and allows us to put it in neutral and release the E-Brake. As I write this I am home waiting for the word on the ($399 unless its the battery system covered by warranty) diagnostic results.

Happy to stay on this thread or start one fresh.

Since Wednesday the status tracker still says Arrival Complete. The inspection did not start until last Thursday evening. At that time my service agent said the tech was unable to determine the issue and would have to “push it in to complete the inspection.” Today I am told it looks like a short in the battery so it will be covered but the inspection is pending until they drop the system. So I am in limbo but my wallet appears safe. The chances of them having a rentable loaner seem slim as well.

I will keep y’all posted on any progress.

 

[chl]

Since Wednesday the status tracker still says Arrival Complete. The inspection did not start until last Thursday evening. At that time my service agent said the tech was unable to determine the issue and would have to “push it in to complete the inspection.” Today I am told it looks like a short in the battery so it will be covered but the inspection is pending until they drop the system. So I am in limbo but my wallet appears safe. The chances of them having a rentable loaner seem slim as well.

I will keep y’all posted on any progress.

Lucky the short did not result in a fire.
Lucky still in the warranty period.

For anyone interested, there are some caveats to the battery warranty as mentioned in the warranty AND in the owners manual, excerpts I extracted in the attached documents, fyi.

Your state laws MAY provide additional coverage requirements, such as requiring rental car assistance for time-extensive repairs - and there is always the threat of a lemon law return as motivation for the company to provide a complementary loaner vehicle.

See also:
Finding Your Warranty Coverage

1. Visit the Ford Support website.
2. Enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or log on to your account.
3. Scroll down to the Vehicle Checklist section. Swipe right (mobile devices) or click the right arrow (computers) until you see your Warranty Start Date.
4. Refer to the warranty coverage periods above to see how much warranty is left on your vehicle.

Does my Ford Protect Extended Service Plan provide rental assistance?
Certain Ford Protect Extended Service Plans provide rental assistance as part of the coverage. To determine if you have rental coverage as part of your plan, refer to the contract that was provided by your Ford Dealer at the time of purchase.

Note: The New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover rental expenses.

Additional Information
Does Ford provide rental assistance for recall repairs?
Can I cancel my Ford Protect Extended Service Plan?

 

[LightningJB]

Since Wednesday the status tracker still says Arrival Complete. The inspection did not start until last Thursday evening. At that time my service agent said the tech was unable to determine the issue and would have to “push it in to complete the inspection.” Today I am told it looks like a short in the battery so it will be covered but the inspection is pending until they drop the system. So I am in limbo but my wallet appears safe. The chances of them having a rentable loaner seem slim as well.

I will keep y’all posted on any progress.

Today's message from service:

"Good morning David the high voltage battery is apart and we found that the becm has an internal fault. I will be reaching out again today with further information on the availability of the part."

 

[Whammy Bar]

Today's message from service:

"Good morning David the high voltage battery is apart and we found that the becm has an internal fault. I will be reaching out again today with further information on the availability of the part."

BECM is the Battery Energy Control Module. Either it died of unnatural causes, or it got turned into a paperweight doing the software update from the CSP (oh no, an acronym! Customer Satisfaction Program).

Either way... not ideal, but not terrible.

 

[chl]

BECM is the Battery Energy Control Module. Either it died of unnatural causes, or it got turned into a paperweight doing the software update from the CSP (oh no, an acronym! Customer Satisfaction Program).

Either way... not ideal, but not terrible.

Hadn't heard of that failing before.
An "internal fault" requiring a replacement would seem to be a physical, that is, electrical circuit failure.

Maybe it was somehow related to the 23B57 issue that was in a CSP last Fall? But I thought that was just software?

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